This invention relates to mounts for circuit boards.
With a trend toward packing components in compact electronic equipment, there is often little space between components. A circuit board, for example a motherboard, requires support in order to avoid strain being placed on the board. Moreover, in electronic equipment where it is desired to allow components to be replaced in the event of a fault in a component, the space to permit the removal of a bulky component and the replacement of that component can be limited.
The present invention seeks to provide a mount for a circuit board that can support the circuit board and provide protection for the circuit board.
A first aspect of the invention provides a circuit board mount for mounting a circuit board in an electronic equipment housing. The mount is mountable on a surface within the housing and includes a slot for receiving the circuit board and for supporting the circuit board at a first height with respect to the housing surface. The mount further comprises at least one upstanding portion (hereinafter referred to as an upstand) of a second height higher than that of the circuit board, whereby a component can be supported on the upstand without contacting the circuit board.
The mount is thus able to support the circuit board and to protect the circuit board during handling of other components within the housing.
In one embodiment the mount has a slot shaped aperture for receiving a fastening (e.g., a screw), whereby the mount is slideably mountable on the housing surface.
A lower surface of the mount can have at least one ridge for engagement with a linear depression in the housing surface to facilitate linear sliding of the mount with respect to the housing surface. Alternatively, a lower surface of the mount can have at least one linear depression for engagement with a ridge in the housing surface to facilitate linear sliding of the mount with respect to the housing surface.
In one example of the invention, the circuit board mount has two upstands, one either side of the mount.
The circuit board mount can be made of insulating plastics material.
Another aspect of the invention provides electronic equipment including a housing, a circuit board and a circuit board mount as defined above. In one embodiment, the circuit board is a motherboard. The electronic equipment can further include a component that can be supported on the upstand during introduction or removal of the component from the housing. The component can be a power supply, with the electronic equipment being a computer server.
A further aspect of the invention provides a method of supporting a circuit board in an electronic equipment housing. The method comprises mounting a circuit board mount on a surface within the housing, the mount being slideable towards the circuit board and including a slot for receiving and supporting the circuit board at a first height with respect to the housing surface, securing the mount with the circuit board received in the slot, and subsequently using at least one upstand of the mount of a second height higher than that of the circuit board to support a component during insertion or removal of the component without the component contacting the circuit board.
Further aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a particular embodiment.